16555. (Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 43, Sec. 80.)

(a) No later than April 1, 2027, the department, jointly with the State Department of Health Care Services, shall submit an interim report to the Assembly Committee on Human Services and the Senate Committee on Human Services that includes, at a minimum, all of the following:

(1) A description of the impact of the pilot program on desired outcomes, including any reduced reliance on hospitals, emergency departments, out-of-state facilities, and law enforcement in responding to the acute needs of foster youth who require more intensive short-term treatment, and reduced absences from placement by youth who received services within the pilot program.

(2) An analysis that includes all of the following elements:

(A) The reasons youth were served by the pilot program.

(B) To the extent not covered in subparagraph (A), a discussion of the most common needs of youth placed into the pilot program that could not be met in family care and the services available in the pilot program to meet those needs.

(C) The number of youth served in the pilot program, including the number of youth receiving services in each component or level of care in the pilot program, and the length of time youth were served for each service and level of care in the pilot program, including time spent in congregate care settings.

(D) Types of services provided by the pilot program.

(E) Outcomes for youth who received services within the pilot program related to youth safety, well-being, and permanency at 6 months and 12 months after participating in the pilot program, or upon exit from foster care.

(F) Other impacts of the pilot program interventions and services on the youth.

(G) The impact of the pilot program on the goals of building trauma-informed, in-home and community-based services.

(3) A description of the reasons foster youth were served by the pilot, the specific needs of the foster youth that could not be met in a family setting, services available to the foster youth in the pilot program and the actual services received, the impact of the interventions, services, and treatment on foster youth safety, well-being, and permanency, and the lengths of stay of the foster youth in the pilot program.

(4) Best practice recommendations related to the provision of services to foster youth with high acuity mental health needs, including, but not limited to, recommendations relating to program structure, cross-sector partnership and collaboration, and local financing.